Structural assembly and unit and method of making



March 7, 1939. v wA s. MILES 2,149,741

l STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLY AND UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING Filed Aug. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVNT'OR WILUAM STANLEY MILES l Bhdaz ATTORNEY Patented. Mar. 7, 1939 STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLY AND UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING William Stanley Miles, Hastings on Hudson, N. Y., assigner to Johns-Manville Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 16, 1935, serial No. 36,413

(c1. zit-) 1 Claim.

'I'his invention relates to a structural assembly and particularly to an assembly of siding or roofing units and the like.

Heretoforeassemblies of this type have been 5 made from units comprising a sheet of asbestos and Portland cement, in compressed and hardened condition, of approximately the dimensions of several wooden shingles arranged side by side. In the effort to make such a-sheet resemble a plurality of shingles of wood, it has been customary to notch deeply a side edge of the sheet at positions spaced apart about the width of such shingles. This notching destroys the overall continuity of the sheet and requires the overlying courses of sheets to have an overlap that is greater than the length of the notches, thereby cansing a large wastage of area of the lower sheet at the lapped joint.

My invention has for its principal object the provision of an assembly of siding or roofing units of such character that a minimum proportion of the areas of the units are employed in the overlap, the assembly permitting, if desired, the simulation in each of the units of a plurality of individual wooden or similar shingles.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises units of an assembly of a composition mafor siding, roofing, or other structural purposes and comprising suitably a compressed andhardened composition of asbestos and Portland cement.

The units are provided with irregularities of 5 surface including elevated portions 2 and alternating depressed portions or troughs 3, constituting graining. The irregularities extend irregularly but generally in conforming or parallel manner, as illustrated, in a given area or portion of the unit, and preferably, transversely with respect to the direction of the longest edge of the unit. Thus, when the units are in place as siding or roong of a dwelling, the graining will extend in a downwardly direction.

In order to reduce the cost of manufacture and difllculties due to closely spaced joints between small units, the units employed in the assembly of the present invention are preferably made wide,

say, as wide as 4 or 5 ordinary wooden shingles 210 terial of the type of a hardened sheet of :asbestos and Portland cement or the like, each having a width as great as that of a plurality of wooden shingles arranged side by side. Each unit is preferably provided with irregularities of surface constituting graining.

In the assembly, the units of each course over- J lap units of a succeeding course to a small extent only and means are provided to underlie the joints between adjacent units of each course to provide the desired weather-resistant character of tlie assembly. i

Other objects and advantages of the invention The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the attached drawings and will be described in connection therewith.

Fig. l is a face view of a siding or shingle unit preferably employed in an assembly of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a face view of a similar unit having a modified shape of lower edge;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on line 3--3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 isa diagrammatic perspective view of an assembly in accordance with the present invention ci the siding or similar units of Fig. 1.A

There are shown continuous units l adapted will be evident from the description that follows.

` arranged side by side.

These wide units may be divided into several areas, each corresponding roughly to the area of a shingle, separated by zones or lines of demarcation 4 extending between the several areas and, suitably, across the unit in the direction of the shortest dimension. At these zones or lines of demarcation, the graining will preferably be discontinuous, that is, the graining in one area will not conform with the graining on the opposite side of the zone between two adjacent areas. While the lzone between two areas extends approximately at a right angle to the upper edge of the unit, the zone extends diagonally with respect to the general direction of the graining on one side at least of the zone. 3 The zonesv may be spaced unequally from each other, to give the appearance of an assembly of individual shingles of random widths.

'I o increase the appearance of lack of continuity between the several areas, a relatively deep groove 5 may be provided in each of the said zones. This groove should be deeper, wider 'or otherwise more conspicuous than the individual troughs of the4 graining, in order to simulate, in shadow effect, the joint between wooden shingles '45 or the like.v This groove may extend substantially regularly and straight across the unit, at approximately a right angle to the lower edge thereof, and have uniform depth, width, and shape of cross section. l 50 The simulation may be carried still vfurther by the irregularities of the lower edge of the unit, giving the appearance of shingle butts in uneven A alinement, as illustrated at positions 6.

In such case preferably, the zones, on either side of which the grainings do not conform and along which may extend the groove B, register or portions at the lower portion of the unit may be curved.` When al1 of the projecting portions are curved, ascalloped edge is produced (Fig. 2).

In theassembly shown in Fig. 4. the units of the kind described are secured to a substructure I4 including, suitably, studs and sheathing to which the units are nailed or otherwise secured. The-units in the various horizontally extending courses above the lowermost overlap underlying courses at the longitudinal edge portions thereof. The several umts of a given course'are displaced horizontally with respect to each other and preferably abut vertical edge to vertical edge, in non-overlapping, flush relationship, to form a joint therebetween. In accordance with the invention, these joints are closed by strips I5 of the type of a felt such, for example, as an asphaltsaturated rag felt, disposed behind the joints and secured to the substructure, as by the fastening means that secure the units themselves to the substructure. For best results, these strips are resiliently yieldable, and water-impermeable. 'Ihe units are secured to thersubstruoture by nails 2| or the like passing through preformed holes in the unit and tacked down on the lower exposed -edge as at positions 22. The felt strips may be secured vto the substructure, as by roofing nails 23, for holding the strips during the making of the assembly.

It will be understood that the details given are for the pm'pose of illustration, not restriction,

and it is intended that variations within the spirit of the inventionshould be included in the scope of the appended claim.

' What I claim is:

An assembly adapted for use as siding, roofing and the like comprising a supporting substructure, a plurality of horizontally extending courses of sheet material secured upon the substructure, said courses overlapping at their horizontal edge portions and each containing a plurality of individual units displaced longitudinally with respect to each other and meeting in flush relationship at their vertical edges to form a joint therebetween, and resiliently yieldable joint closing means of the type of a strip of waterimpermeable felt disposed behind the said joint and secured in position, whereby the said plurality of units in a given course form a weather-tight strip. -V y WILLIAM STANLEY MILES. 

